A Demon's Scorn
by Alisi Thorndyke
Summary: Being an ordinary human isn't all it's cracked up to be for now ex dream demon Bill Cipher since renouncing his power to be with the one he loves, but just because he is done with his powers doesn't mean they are done with him, especially when Mabel becomes targeted by Bill's nemesis! Rated T for alcohol and suggestive/ideological material in later chapters.
1. Nightmares

A Demon's Scorn!

A/N: Hello everyone! Alisi Thorndyke here coming at you guys with another Mabill fic that my poll results landed on! It is thanks to you guys that this fic is now going into publication so hopefully you guys will enjoy this as I am breaking my three fic only rule since one of my fics are on a temp hiatus. So if nothing else, onto the disclaimer, the summary and then the chapter itself! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Seriously, if I owned Gravity Falls, I'd be able to pay my grad school tuition with the paychecks lol! But no, I do not own it.

Summary: Being an ordinary human isn't all it's cracked up to be for now ex dream demon Bill Cipher since renouncing his power to be with the one he loves, but because he is done with his powers doesn't mean they are done with him, especially when Mabel becomes targeted by Bill's nemesis! Rated T for alcohol and suggestive/ideological material. Completely MaBill!

Chapter 1: Nightmares

The area is covered in thick smoky grey clouds as if someone had let the smoke of their grill or stove seep into the air, it filling the once crisp oxygen filled atmosphere with its toxic vapors. It can even be assumed that a bad storm has entered the area and has covered the sky with its thick storm clouds that are threatening to release its drove of rain drops onto the area so to make the pitiful civilians in the area scramble for cover until the threat has passed. Scream after terrifying scream ripped through the thick smoke, the ear piercing shrieks sharp enough to tear an ear drum if a person was so unfortunate were to walk into the area.

"_Humans, who needs them_?" The larger voice spoke, breaking through the wall of screams as a pair of crimson eyes shone brightly through the thick smoke, their crimson shine breaking through the wall of grey, their vision landing on nothing in particular. "_Humans are the weaker than of our race! They should be bowing down to us, not us going into hiding to keep our existence a secret! It's about time we showed them just how dangerous we can be!"_

"But not all humans are bad." The victim voice replied to the tormenting voice. "I know one in particular that is not all bad."

"_What are you? A weakling?!"_ The larger voice hissed as the crimson eyes became surrounded by mass of smoke as the clouds took shape. "_You're not supposed to think that way! You use to be one of us and it's not too late to come back to our side!"_

"I can't and I made a promise that I won't!" The accused voice shivered, it the sound of panic racing through it or on the edge of becoming so. "I can't break a promise, not to her!"

"_She means nothing to you and you know it!"_ The tormentor boomed. "_You can't allow her to control you, you're one of us! And that blood will always run through your veins whether you chose to realize that ore not! So stop denying what you are and just succumb to it!"_

"I can't, and I won't!" The weakened voice continued, trying to hold its own against the tormentor. "She means everything to me and I won't turn my back to her!"

From that expression, a loud growl ripped through the smoke with a horrifying scream coming from the accused voice thereafter! From the intense scream, sobs of pain are heard coming from the accused voice.

"_I will not allow you to just your back on your kind!"_ The larder voice boomed once more as the scarlet eyes lowered themselves as if they are focusing on something below them. "_That is NOT how our pack works and you know it!"_

A few hiccups in the sobs are heard with the sobbing slowing down only to be replaced by groans of pain.

"_So what is it going to be?"_ The demonic voice questioned. "_Us or her?"_

There was no response from the normal voice other than the continued groans of pain.

"_Answer me weakling or I'll make you feel pain like you've never felt before!"_ The demon voice threatened. There was no response from the weaker voice as the groaning in pain continued.

"I chose her and will always choose her!" The weaker voice finally replied after moments of silence. "I'm not changing my mind for anything!"

"_Then you leave me no choice!"_ The tormenting voice growled. "_If you refuse to accept your fate, then I guess SHE will have to instead!"_

"No! She can't possible take anymore!" The accused voice sputtered, despite the amount of pain it appeared to be in. "Just let her go!"

"_You left me no choice when you turned your back on us so you only have yourself to blame for what is going to happen to the human you turned your back on us for!"_ The larger voice replied, a maliciousness roaming throughout the tone.

From the darkness, an unconscious chocolate haired woman who looks to be no older than eighteen years old emerged and her appearance was one that is only seen in horror films by standard. Her wrists are tied above her head by thick rope, her left eye is blacked and swollen shut while the other one is normal, in the left corner of her mouth is a stream of crimson that is running down onto her white sweater, on her legs are streams of blood that are running from under her skirt, her hair is a tattered mess with chunks of blood clumped in it, and her ankles are tied together with the same rope her wrists are tied together with. The woman's appearance is horrific and can scare someone who is easily susceptible.

"No! Leave her alone!" The weaker voice screamed, sounding as if it were to burst into tears at any moment. "You've done enough to her! Just please leave her alone!"

"_Then make your decision!"_ The demon voice pressed. "_Us or her?!"_

The accused voiced struggled with itself to make a forced decision as evident by the hitching sounds in its voice, sounding as if it is shivering in the cold.

"_Tick, tock!" _The larger voice pushed. "_She doesn't have much time left!"_

"I don't know!" The accused voice screamed. "I don't want to leave her, I just can't!"

"_Well then, it seems you've already made your decision, thus making the decision for her fate as well!"_

Through the woman's abdomen a knife emerged, which caused the woman's eyes to shoot open as she screamed from the searing pain in her abdomen, her thrusting her head back as the knife is retracted from her flesh. The front of the young woman's left thigh is sliced opened, the woman howling in pain as she brought her face into view, the painful expression clearly showed on her features.

"No! Please! Don't do that to her!" The weaker voice screamed, it heavily sobbing as it evidently watched the young woman being tortured right in front of it. "I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt her anymore!"

"_Anything you say?"_

"Yes! Anything! Just please leave her alone!"

"_Well since you put it that way!"_

The sobbing young woman is released from her bonds and is dropped to the ground in a heap, her bloody and lifeless body laying on the ground as it struggled to move even an inch. Deafening silence falls on the area as the thick smoke that is surrounding the area thins out just enough to reveal a tall lanky figure with crimson red eyes approaching the wall of grey at a quick pace. The bruised and battered young woman was able to turn her head enough to see the ruby eyes of the figure approaching her, which made her sob even harder.

"No, please stay away from me!" The woman pleaded as the figure continued its pursuit, it breaking through the wall of grey to reveal a pale lanky blonde with torn black slacks, torn white shirt, a majority of the shirt ripped from his body, and a stream of blood running from the corner of his mouth.

"No, please!" The woman continued pleading, her sobs heavier with each inch the figure took towards her. With no an inch obstacle left between them, the blonde grabbed the woman off of the ground by her neck and brought her face an inch within range of his.

"_You know what you have to do!"_

"Humans are weaker than the demon race!" The blonde hissed in the terrified woman's face. "And I have no use for you, anymore! I will_ never_ make the mistake made with you again!"

With the woman's fear ridden vision caught with the demented blonde's vision, her eyes rolled back into her head with the blonde smiling grimly at her.

"Now how does it feel to have to answer to one of _us_?" The blonde spoke with a boom in his tone, a sickening smirk as the brunette went limp in his grasp. "I'd be speechless if I were you as well!"

Feeling the success of his vengeful actions, the blonde emerged into hysterical laughs as he slung the lifeless body of the young woman to the ground as if she were a rag doll. As the woman's body lied lifeless on the ground, her entire body began to glow a sickening green as she was lifted from the ground, her head hung low and out of view from her tormentor. The shine that is normally evident in the woman's eyes brown eyes were nothing more than a dull grey. The scars that she endured from earlier were more than healed with the exception of the blood on her sweater and on her thigh.

"You are now reborn!" The blonde hissed in delight as he watched the young woman's head being lifted to his view, her dull grey eyes being met with his glittering ruby orbs. "Now, awaken my new servant so we can rule over this pathetic human planet! Awaken! Awaken! _AWAKEN_!"

"Time to awaken my sleepy head." A gleeful tone spoke, it breaking through the façade of the dreamer's false reality. "Who's up for morning coffee?"

"No! You don't control me anymore! I'm done with you!" A hysterical voice screamed, the eyes to that voice shooting open. Shaky hands fly from their positions and grip onto something as if trying to strangle the life out of it!

"Hey! Get your hands off my sister!" Dipper's voice commanded as he rushed over to Mabel and Bill, the furious eighteen year old twin trying to pry his sister out of the death grips of the hysterical human Bill. Through the racing thoughts in his mind, it finally registered to the human as to who his hands are round the neck of and getting a better look, he noticed that it is Mabel Pines. The coffee cup that she was holding so to give to him was knocked out of her hands and onto the floor, the morning beverage a spilled mess all over the human's stack of books next to his bed.

With his vision locked into her vision of confusion mixed with a taste of fear, Bill released her throat as he slowly moved away from her.

"Mabel, I'm-I'm sorry." Bill quietly apologized to his loved one. "I didn't mean to do that to you."

"I bet you didn't!" Dipper snapped, having put space the human and his sister. "I always warned Mabel about you and now I guess she can see you for the _monster _you really are! Let's go Mabel, we're leaving!"

"No Dipper, I'm staying!" Mabel defied her brother as she stepped from behind him and approached her ex-demon lover. "He was just having a nightmare is all and didn't mean what he did. Are you ok Bill?"

Noting the look on the woman's face, the ex-demon smiled and nodded, seeing that despite how bad of a predicament he might have put himself in, the woman still cared for him no matter what. Dipper, on the other hand, was a different story.

"Yea, I am and sorry about that." Bill answered as Mabel embraced him in a hug. "I guess I owe you a coffee then?"

"No, that was for you silly." Mabel giggled as she caught with his vision and tapped the human's nose. "But I would like a more welcoming greeting the next time I come by. If I hadn't come by, you would still be asleep and not awake in time for work. Looks like my brother isn't the only one who can beat out an alarm."

Confused by what the young woman meant, Bill turned to his alarm clock and noticed the time, seeing that he has exactly thirty minutes to get to work at the diner. A hand is ran through his dirty blonde hair along with a released sigh of frustration. While this isn't the only time a nightmare has occurred, it is the only one that has caused him to nearly be late for work.

"I do appreciate at it Mabel." Bill voiced as he turned back to her with a smile. "What would I do without you?"

"Well you certainly wouldn't make it to work on time that's for sure." Mabel replied with a giggle as she pecked her lover's lips. Never being satisfied with just a peck, Bill pulled her back in so to get a full kiss from his female companion, much to the chagrin of her fraternal twin. After what seems like a two minute kiss, the two pulled apart with a smile shared between them.

"See you after your shift." Mabel lovingly spoke as she ran the tips of her manicured fingers through his messy blonde hair. Before the young woman could get away good, Bill gripped onto her hand and gently pulled her back to him, garnering another kiss.

"See you later." Bill spoke back to her. "You too Pine Tree."

Never bothering to speak kindly to the man, Dipper sent a sneer in his direction and left the room with his twin in tow, just leaving the human to face what was to become of his day. For the last few nights for the past few weeks, the ex-demon has had restless nights, nightmares surging throughout his subconscious and ultimately disturbing him from a what could be a restful night's sleep. The pleasant dreams that he prayed to have before laying his head on his pillow were turned into gut wrenching nightmares. Not of the same context mind you, but within the same universe of causing one to scream into the night, thus leaving the human to watch the clock or the window as morning arrived with not an ounce of sleep earned on his part. He had to go to work in such as tiring state, answering to rude customers and trying to keep his focus on keeping the orders straight. This was truly disturbing.

And the nightmare he was woken up from that caused him to do something he would never do in a million years to his beloved, something about these were happening a bit more frequent than he liked, but how can you control a dream that is out of your reach, but stuck in a place that you can't get to?

With another sigh released, the man turned to the clock once more and noticed that his time to get to the diner is quickly ticking down, not leaving him much time to grab a quick clean up before heading out the door and as much as he wants to snuggle back under his covers, he knew that he had to face his day no matter what it brought him.

This was truly going to be a long day.

_**Please check my profile for the update recently posted and don't forget to review! I'd also like to thank Evil-Ekat for assisting me in the production of this fanfic. Thanks a bunch girly! :)**_


	2. Tattered

Chapter 2: Tattered

Two spilled coffees, two burned lunches and one kitchen fire had already happened within the hour the human was working. His concentration was majorly thrown off due to how much sleep he wasn't getting and how distracted he was. His tired eyes grazed over the order slips as they came in while he tried to keep up with how fast they were going out.

For the past six months since working at the diner, coordination and speed was never the human's Achilles heel as he stated, it felt more liberating to be ordinary in a sense, but since denouncing his powers to be with the woman he loves more than nine months ago, it seemed that both had slowed down for him majorly. But no matter what, the blonde had done his best to keep up with the speed of the restaurant, no matter how tired he was as the last few weeks hadn't been that great to him.

"Order ticket 254 up!" Bill heard through his melatonin laced ears. Despite how tired he was as he waited for the ticket rack to be cleared, he occasionally downed two to three cups of coffee just to stay alert enough to focus much like now as the human just finished his second cup of coffee.

"Order ticket 254 up!" Bill heard once more.

"Yea, I heard you." Bill mumbled back as he grabbed the plate from the serve counter and placed it on his arm so to carry it to table six. Order 255 and 256 that had to go to table seven were also in his route so he grabbed those plates and placed him on his other arm, the warmth from beneath the plates on both arms giving the blonde a sense of relaxation, but as soon as they were gone, that sense of comfort would be gone with them.

Leaving from the kitchen area and to the main dining area, the human served the customers at table six and seven with a smile as only he could through his tired façade and pulled another's bill which is to go to table eight.

"There you are madam." Bill smiled to the young woman who was packing her things to leave the establishment. "Is there anything else I could do for you?"

"Oh no, you've been such a sweet heart already." The woman cheerily replied as she grabbed her wallet. Opening the dollar section, the woman pulled out a ten dollar bill and handed it to Bill. "For such great service."

With his order book already open, Bill took the money from her with a smile and placed it inside, closing it thereafter.

"Have a great day ma'am." Bill greeted the parting woman as she smiled back to him. "And thanks for the tip."

Receiving tips were the best part of the job Bill had to admit, but cleaning the tables after the patrons were gone were the worst part, but it was a part of the job. You can't have it all the human had to admit to himself. The cup was placed on the plate along with the silverware which made it easy for the man to take it in one pile instead of many. Rarely did the diner get entire families that came in to dine, but more singular patrons than anything and that's what made the job that much easier for him to handle.

Taking the dishes into the kitchen, Bill placed them in the sink and slumped against the rounded edge of the sink, the overwhelming fatigue having hit the man. His eyes quickly grew tired with sleep and his legs felt as if they were going to give way under him. Oh how he would love to go back home and sleep, but even he knew what a gamble that would have been.

"_You know, the Bill I know wouldn't ever pick up after mere mortals!"_

Bill's eyes quickly snapped open at hearing the voice and looked around frantically for the owner, but what he saw was the same dull surroundings of the kitchen that normally met him when he came into work four sometimes five days a week. Not seeing anything unusual, Bill crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the sink while shutting his eyes again. Maybe if he got just a few quick minutes, no harm in that.

"_Don't you see what you've become? You are serving them when they should be serving us!"_

That dreadful voice returned which startled Bill awake with the man almost hitting the ground from major fatigue. Ok so the coffee only worked for so long.

Despite how tired he was, Bill noticed that the scenery in the kitchen had changed from the boring sinks, power washers, and serving counters to swirling turquoise white scenery that stretched on for miles and miles. Shaking his head to make sure he weren't hallucinating what he was seeing, Bill focused his vision and noticed that what he were looking at was the real deal and not some hallucination.

"H—hello?" Bill stammered as he looked to his left and then his right.

Silence was what he was left with as he continued trying to assess what was going on. A single white swirl emerged from the scenery in the form of a hot white lightning bolt and struck close to the man which made him leap in the air, nearly out of his skin.

"_I bet that got your attention!" _

Bill immediately came to recognize the voice as the one he thought he was rid of for good, but obviously isn't rid of as much as he thought!

"I'm not playing this game with you anymore!" Bill growled. "We're finished and I made sure to never look you up again! My powers are where even I can't get to them!"

"_Now, now Bill_." The cringing voice taunted to the blonde as it took a familiar form, one in which Bill would swear he was looking into a mirror, minus the blood curdling malicious smile. "_I've said it once and I've said it again, you can't be done with us, even if you did fall for a mere mortal!"_

"Don't you _ever_ say that about Mabel again!" Bill hissed to the ghost of his dark side. "I don't _ever_ regret changing for her!"

"_If she truly loved you, you wouldn't have had to change for her." _The demon retorted. "_For better or worse remember?"_

"Well I did it for her willingly, she never implied that." Bill stated. "Now if you're done annoying me, I have a job to get back to."

"_Yes, a job picking up after filthy humans who can't bother to pick up after themselves." _ Demon Bill sneered. "_Just know it is never too late to come back to the side you know you belong on. All you have to do is say it and we'll be back together again just like old times."_

"Read my lips: Not going to happen!" Bill yelled. "I'm never going back to you and be like the monster you are! Now take a hint and beat it!"

"_You're making a big mistake!" _The demon threatened as Bill turned his back to him to walk away. "_If you dare walk away from what you know you are, you will fall and that is a promise! Which would also include her!"_

That made the human stop in his tracks and whirl around to the maliciously smirking demon, whom was enjoying the nerve that he struck with the blonde. He knew how much Bill loved Mabel and even knew he would go to great lengths to protect the woman, which made his mind games all the more satisfying.

"You lay one hand on her and you _better_ believe that I'll hunt you down!" Bill threatened as he marched over to the demon ghost.

"_But how can you do that without your powers?"_ The ghost continued. "_Only those with the power can make the rules and since you've become one of them, I guess making the rules is solely up to me! Please observe!"_

The ghost waved his hands in front of him and realistically tangible image of a distressed Mabel bound and gagged with tear stained cheeks and wide terrified eyes appeared in front of Bill. No words came out of the man's mouth as devastation immediately washed over him to keep any other feeling or emotion from surfacing.

"_If I wanted, this would be the last time you saw her, thus making the rule to take away anything you hold dear." _ Demon Bill marveled as he stepped to the left of the terrified woman and ran a gentle finger through a lock of her matted tresses, enjoying the fear that he has struck into her heart. "_Awe, look at her Bill, she looks so scared."_

Bill opened his mouth to voice a protest, but nothing came out except air that he breathed around him as his broadened eyes remained on the image of the woman he loved while she was being tormented by the ghost of himself. The demon then placed a small kiss on the woman's cheek and continued playing in her hair.

"_Now now Mabel, I wouldn't dream of hurting something so precious and fragile like you, but while you're here, maybe you can talk some sense into this blonde fool."_ The demon teased as he continued playing in that same lock of hair. "_He thinks he can defy me when we call know who really holds the power here."_

The demon continued playing in the woman's hair as he turned to Bill with a malicious grin. He just as quickly turned his attention back to Mabel.

The terrified woman shook her head frantically, which quickly angered the demon, his biggest pet peeve being defiance and anyone who dared do such! The demon then stepped back from her and snapped his fingers, the woman becoming engulfed in hot white flames with her form covered entirely in the blaze. Bill could have sworn he heard her muffled screams through the flames that ripped through every inch of her body that turned her delicate smooth skin into tough as bark chards. As disturbed as the man became by viewing this, he found it hard to look away and while it was only an illusion of his beloved, it still didn't do him any good to see what the fate of her would be at the hands of the mad man. This was all too much!

"_Oops, my fingers slipped."_ The mad man playfully spoke, which quickly switched back to his uncaring cold tone as he turned to Bill, noticing the man frozen in his spot. Seeing the terrified look in his eyes made the demon chuckle darkly. "_Or did they?"_

"Ma—Mab—el." Bill stammered as he continued watching the hungry flames continue their consumption of his beloved.

"_As I said, the one with the power make the rules and I just displayed my number one rule."_ He continued. "_At the drop of a hat, anything I feel you don't deserve will be ripped away. Just see this as a reminder and a warning! Now I'll just leave you and what's left of her to get further acquainted."_

The demon turned his back to the blonde and vanished from sight, leaving the man to view what remains left of his love that the flames had not burned away. The flames suddenly grew larger as if someone had thrown gasoline on them with the tongue of the flames releasing flamettes that leaped all around Bill, causing more of the fire to spread. The entire area became quickly covered in blazing flames that trapped Bill and the remains of Mabel in one vicious circle, but the blonde was far too disturbed to notice what was taking place around him that is until a snowy white powder hit him in the back of the neck. Feeling the blustery cold melt onto his skin, Bill blinked once and upon opening his eyes, he noticed something different surrounding him.

Bill looked around and noticed that the illusion of Mabel, the demon, and the demon's illusion were gone, but the kitchen was on fire. Another worker had began putting the fire out, but that didn't stop the blonde from jumping in to help put out the blaze.

To spilled coffees, two burned lunches, and now two kitchen fires. This was truly a long day and the bad part was, it wasn't even over yet with only seven more hours to go!

**Mystery S'hack**

Mabel and Dipper are in their attic bedroom as Dipper rants on about the happenings that took place that morning at Bill's place.

"And he grabbed you around the neck! Around the neck Mabel so he could choke you!" Dipper continued his disapproval of the relationship between his sister and the ex-demon. "I don't like you dating him Mabel and I want you to break up with him immediately! You're not safe with him and I don't want to have any reason to pick your body out in the Gravity Falls morgue because he decided to go back to what he was and killed you! I'm telling you, it's only a number of days before he is that demented demon we all know and hate!"

"Dipper, I'm not breaking up with Bill because of what happened this morning!" Mabel argued back to her furious twin. "He freaked out and had a nightmare, that's not enough! I witnessed Bill turn over to the good side and denounce his powers into some warp hole thingy. He did it for me and that should be enough for you! He's the good guy now and I'm staying with him, even when things do get rough!"

"No, that's not good enough for me and it never will be!" Dipper continued his fuming while releasing a held breath.

The younger pines turned from his sister and to the direction of his bed as he ran a hand through his brown locks in an attempt to calm himself down. Seeing how upset Dipper was, the older pines doesn't believe she has ever seen her brother this mad before except for when it came to Gideon. Outside of that, never this steamed. With a shake of the head, Dipper then turned back to her and took a seat on the bed next to her while catching with the woman's gaze. His temper has began simmering out so he could at least make coherent sentences.

"Listen Mabel, I'm sorry for yelling, but I honestly just don't see how safe you are with Bill despite that he gave up his powers." Dipper calmly voiced. "And yes, I'm aware that he had a nightmare when we went to see him this morning, but when I look at him, all I see is the same vicious, mind game playing, deal making, twisted demon we met in Stan's dreamscape, only in human form. That's all I'll ever see when I look at him."

"But Dipper, don't you see he changed?" Mabel expressed, her brown eyes filled with plead for her brother to understand her point of this. "He's not the same thing he used to be and I know for sure he won't hurt me. He gave up the one thing that meant the most to him just for me and has been one of the best boyfriends I've had since Mermando, despite how short lived that was. So don't you see Dipper? Bill treats me well and isn't just a short term thing like all the other guys I've met over the past summers. I love him and I know he loves me just as much and my happiness should mean something to you, regardless if he is someone you still see as a monster, even if I don't."

Still caught with his sister's vision, the younger pines saw just how serious his sister was about the blonde human and has a point about his powers. For sure, the ex-demon could have kept his powers and continued his revenge streak against her family while hurting her in the process without an ounce of remorse, but instead he gave them up to live like an ordinary human for the woman that is sitting next to her twin brother. Not many beings would give up something they hold dear to them, but because he did, that says a lot about the lanky blonde, especially one that loved the insanity he created and took pride in having at one time.

"Mabel, your happiness means everything to me, but I just don't want to see you hurt in any way." Dipper expressed. "That's all I'm really concerned about."

"But you won't Dipper." Mabel replied with a smile forming. "I know that Bill won't do anything to purposely hurt me and if he does, I'll give him a swift kick where he will never forget! He'll then know the Mabel difference!"

And that is all Dipper needed to bring a smile to his face, seeing the smile on his sister's face. While Mabel always landed in a lot of unpredictable situations where she needed help getting out of in the past, the younger pines knew that Mabel could handle herself when the time came and was not some typical damsel in the distress that constantly needed saving from the villains.

"And that is all I needed to hear." Dipper said as he leaned over and engulfed his sister in a hug. "I'm sorry for once again yelling Mabel. I just want to protect you like I use to when we were twelve and with you dating Bill, I can't be certain of your safety, but I know you can handle yourself when the time comes for it. I just have to stop seeing you as that twelve year old who most times needed saving when you landed in sticky situations."

"It's ok Dipping sauce." Mabel giggled while returning the hug to her twin. "I know where your heart is, even though you can be a real dork sometimes."

Dipper laughed as he released his sister who in turn playfully punched his arm.

"So are we good Mabel?" Dipper asked to his brunette fraternal twin.

"We've always been Dipdots." Mabel replied with certainty. "Just leave Bill to me and if I need you, I'll surely give a whistle."

"Good enough for me." Dipper nodded.

The floor beneath the two suddenly jerked as a greenish white light brightly shone through the cracks in the wood before it quickly died out. Seeing that, the twins glanced at each other with looks of confusion.

"I thought Stan figured out what is causing those mini-quakes coming from the portal." Dipper sighed in exhaustion as another jerk occurred, causing a temporary anti-gravity motion in the twin's bedroom while also loosening a plank in the ceiling of the room.

"He said something about fluctuations and taming it, I'm not too sure." Mabel replied with a shrug. "Let's go find out what's going on before the ceiling comes crashing down on us."

The two then leaped up from her bed and ran out of the room as another jerk occurred, this one longer than the previous outputs.

Downstairs in his underground lab, Stan had just avoided another bolt of lightning that the portal had outputted, the ground getting struck instead of the old man himself. He stood a good distance from the gateway while recording its activities on a note pad and occasionally checking the monitors for the output it gave off through what was scanned by the computer. The turquoise and white swirled inside the opening of the portal normally which made the mystery behind why the power fluctuations kept occurring.

"I just don't understand it." Stan spoke as he recorded more data on the note pad from the computer screen to his left. "If the activity is normal, which this says it is, what is causing all of these fluctuations? These are occurring more often than they should be and the last thing I need are those government agents back over here riding my backside because of this thing's activities. And that agent powers, freak show!"

The center of the portal began swirling wildly as another quake occurred, releasing a few small boulders from the ceiling, the hardened dirt mounds crashing to the ground and creating a pocket of dust from the dirt they landed in. Luckily the elder was nowhere near the area the boulders landed. As he continued writing down the data, the elder then heard the voices of his great niece and nephew calling out to him from the hallow hall leading to the lab. The old man looked up and spotted the two coming towards the area he was in.

"Stay right there!" Stan cautioned the two. "This thing is going crazy and the last thing I need are you two getting injured because it decided to take revenge. I'll be right there."

The fraternal twins stopped in their tracks as cautioned by their great uncle and watched from a distance as the older man made his way into the main room and safely away from the fierce gateway as it released another bolt of power from its center.

"So what can I do you kids for?" Stan jokingly greeted the two while fixing his fez.

"We came down here to see what is going on with the gateway." Dipper answered. "We felt the jolts all the way upstairs. I thought you figured out what was causing those consistent fluctuations."

"I'm still trying to figure it out myself Dip." Stan sighed as he turned back to the gateway through the Plexiglas of the room they were all standing in. "One minute it's as calm as it gets and the next minute, it's spinning out of control. Sometimes I think it has mood swings. Ha! A portal with mood swings! I have to write that down!"

Indeed Stan grabbed the note pad and began writing down his joke.

"You don't think those agents are going to come back do you Stan?" Mabel questioned with a little worry evident in their eyes.

"I don't think so kiddo." Stan answered, having written down his own joke. "Those agents were none the wiser about this thing when they were here so the chances of them catching onto this now are slim to none. Especially the blonde who didn't look too bright, but the first guy kind of weirded me out a bit."

"You might want to be careful all the same." Dipper warned. "That agent trigger gave me the creeps and I never really trusted guys with blonde hair."

"That explains a lot." Mabel huffed from Dipper's explanation alone.

"Well if they do return, they'll have a pretty hard time getting answers out of me as I can take anything they throw at me." Stan confidently voiced. "I've been in jails tougher than them! Besides after thirty years of building up to this, I haven't been caught yet and I doubt if I ever will."

"I'd still be careful all the same as never doesn't have the same meaning it use to." Dipper voiced.

"Well while you two figure this out, I'm going to get ready to meet with Bill after his shift." Mabel gleefully spoke as she turned to leave. "I know he will happy to see me after such a long day."

"Not so fast young lady." Stan spoke up immediately, which made the eighteen year old girl turn back to him. "I need you upstairs in the shop for two hours working with Wendy."

"But can't I do that after I see Bill?" Mabel pouted with pleading eyes.

"Nope because I can't wait until ten at night when you decide to come back from your date." Stan sternly expressed. "Upstairs for two hours and after that, you can go see Bill. I'm a little untrusting of that guy as it is and the less time you spend with him the better. Two hours is all I ask and then you can go see that guy. No more about it."

"Fine." Mabel spoke as she turned to leave. Stan then turned to Dipper.

"Hey, Dip, how would you like to make a few extra bucks helping me down here in the lab?" Stan offered to Dipper, who raised a curious eyebrow at the man. "I could really use a helpful hand."

Dipper looked suspiciously at his great uncle, knowing that whenever the man asked for help, it usually involved him doing something demeaning or embarrassing. The wolf costume that he was forced to wear as a display in the shop area of the shack was still very fresh in the young pines' mind with a shudder each time he thought about it, despite it happened six years ago.

"Make a few extra bucks as in real money?" Dipper curiously asked. "And what would I be doing exactly?"

Stan reached into his pants pocket and pulled out two twenty dollar Stan bucks and placed them in Dipper's hands. Seeing the hand drawn money caused the teen's eyelids to droop half way, indicating annoyance mixed with he already knew what was coming next.

"Don't worry, it won't be anything too hard." Stan replied with a weird grin as he brought a biohazard suit into the boy's vision.

"I had to ask." Dipper sighed with lowered eyelids.

**Bill**

Dollar bills in increments of ten and twenty dollars laid crinkled on the coffee table in front of the couch where the blonde laid with his right arm covering his face. He felt his feet throb and his lower back gripe, both unhappy of how long and hard the man worked that day. It'd had been a long eight hour shift and it finally came to an end where the man went home to rest, his couch being as far as he would go without causing himself any further pain. Thankfully he had the next day off because another eight hours on his feet considering he has worked all week on the same shift, he didn't think he'd survive another day without collapsing. Especially considering how much sleep he hasn't been getting. At least his tips helped out a great deal in making his day somewhat tolerable along with seeing Mabel after his shifts, but today felt extra special for some reason. Just being in her presence after a long day of working made the man extremely happy. Not that he's never happy to see her any other day, but today just felt special in ways he can't describe.

Removing his arm from his face, the man placed it back to his side and opened his eyes as a tired sigh escaped his lips. Not turning to the coffee table, the man grabbed his phone stealthy from the piece of furniture beneath his mountain of tips and brought it to his vision to see what time the phone read on the LCD display screen. Eight o' nine pm on a Friday night. What is a human to do at this time of night? Watch television? Go out to dinner? Have some friends over? So many possibilities for this time of night for the start of the weekend, but one thing immediately crossed the man's mind, something that passed him up earlier that day and that is a shower where after which he would climb in bed to prepare for the free day he had facing him the tomorrow. Hopefully tonight would be the start of restful dreams instead of horrifying gut wrenching nightmares, something he has grown tired of since they began.

"It's better than nothing." Bill spoke up, breaking through the deafening silence that surrounded him in his one bedroom occupant house.

The man repositioned himself as his feet were placed on the floor, the appendages along with his legs screaming at him to put them back on the couch as they weren't ready to be moved. The man lifted himself off of the couch and placed his hands on his lower back, lightly massaging it in an attempt to quiet the aches that were present as he made his way to the stairs to begin climbing them. Sometimes he wished the bathroom wasn't so far away from him, especially now. Reaching the top of the stairs, the blonde hastily walked to the first door on his right and entered it as his mind and body both screamed for that shower that his eyes were glued to.

As he passed the mirror to go to the tub, his reflection didn't appear in the reflective glass, but yet, something else did that moved right along with him. Having caught a quick glance in the corner of his right eye, the lanky human quickly back tracked and faced the reflective glass to see that his tired and tattered reflection stared back at him. Maybe being so tired has caused the man's mind to perceive what wasn't there as that can happen after having worked eight hours straight with no break and little sleep.

"I'm definitely getting some sleep tonight." Bill voiced in a mumble to himself as he looked away from the mirror and continued to the tub to turn on the shower. "My eyes are playing tricks on me."

With the shower turned on and the warm water running, the blonde began to undress so to hopefully start a night of restful dreams.

"_More than what you may think!"_

_**Review Please and Gideon's EndGame will be updated next weekend!**_


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